A Palm Beach billionaire with waterfront property vulnerable to sea level rise was sworn in today as Secretary of Commerce, giving him oversight of federal agencies charged with studying climate change.

Wilbur Ross, won the seat in a 72 to 27 vote in the U.S. Senate, and after U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson quizzed him earlier this year on his feelings about filling vacancies at the National Weather Service, sea level rise and global warming.

“As a resident of Florida who lives along the coast, I certainly share your interest and concern about the impact of these changes on coastal areas,” Ross wrote. “Let me preface the following by suggesting that we put aside for now the question of what is causing these changes, and agree to focus on addressing the impacts of those changes.”

He said he plans to begin meeting with NOAA scientists immediately to learn more about what “they are seeing with respect to weather and climate information.”

“I also look forward to meeting with scientists from the National Marine Fisheries Service to learn how changes in ocean temperature patterns are affecting fishery stocks and allocation decisions,” Ross said. “As you know from my hearing responses, I believe science should be left to scientists.”

Ross added that unless it involves a national security concern, he sees “no valid reason to keep peer reviewed research from the public”

At just over 3 feet of sea level rise, more than half of the property would be underwater.

President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago is also susceptible to rising seas.

The current projection is for seas around South Florida to rise between 2.3 and 4.7 feet by 2100. If the worst-case scenario holds true, nearly half of Mar-a-Lago’s 20-acre site would be underwater in 84 years, with the brackish Intracoastal Waterway invading from the west.

The blush-colored mansion itself, built in 1927 by Marjorie Merriweather Post, doesn’t succumb until 6 feet of sea level rise occurs, according to a NOAA tool that visualizes sea-level rise.